Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib. (Credit: NNA)
Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Monday called for an immediate cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel and urged the international community to "support Lebanon's armed and security forces" to ensure the implementation of Resolution 1701. He made the remarks during the tenth edition of the Mediterranean Dialogues, held in Rome from Nov. 25 to 27.
"Full and fair implementation of resolution 1701 is the gateway to stability. Lebanon is ready to carry out its commitments as stipulated by this resolution. This means that there will be no weapons outside the Lebanese government, and no authority other than that of the Lebanese government," Bou Habib said, according to the National News Agency (NNA).
He added, "For this to happen, two conditions are necessary: an immediate cease-fire and the deployment of additional troops south of the Litani River. In coordination with UNIFIL, Lebanon will then be able to assert its sovereignty over its territory."
Bou Habib also praised the work of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon and condemned "any attack" against the U.N. force in southern Lebanon.
Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war in Lebanon, stipulates that only the Lebanese Army and U.N. peacekeepers are to be deployed along Lebanon's southern border. This requires the withdrawal of both Hezbollah and Israeli forces, who have been conducting a ground offensive in the area since Sept. 30. It also stipulates that Israel must respect Lebanon’s sovereign frontiers.
